This invention relates to pneumatic tires and, more particularly, to a pneumatic tire, whether new or recapped, having a novel and highly-effective tread pattern.
It is known that travel on wet ground, particularly at high speed, raises special problems of adherence due to the inequality of the pressures in the contact or footprint area: the water has a tendency to lift the tire, especially at the center of the area of contact, where the pressure of the tire on the ground is often least. The tire must also be capable of satisfactory service, in particular, of satisfactory adherence and wear on dry roads or ground, especially during cornering. The requirements to be met under various road conditions are contradictory. Thus in order to obtain during high-speed travel an adherence on wet ground which approaches the adherence on dry ground, it is essential on the one hand that the differences in pressure in the contact area of the tire be as small as possible and on the other hand that the evacuation of the water in the contact area of the tire be effective. For this purpose, it is advantageous to divide the tread by deep, wide, oblique or transverse grooves. On the other hand, in order to travel on dry surfaces while avoiding non-uniform wear, that is to say faster wear on the edges than in the central portion of the tread, particularly during cornering, it is desirable to assure the longitudinal continuity of the relief elements of the tread, particularly at the edges.